WAIMEA VALLEY KAUAI

Here's a 10-shot stitched panoramic taken from the Waimea Valley lookout platform on Kauai.

HANALEI TARO FIELD KAUAI

This was an evening shot of one the taro fields of Hanalei on Kauai.  Taro is the root crop that produces the infamous poi.

GRAVES AT JUNK BEACH

This cemetery, located near Glass Beach on Kauai, had an interesting look due to the abundance of the island's famous red dirt and the degree to which it was "lightly" maintained.

KAUAI MOUNTAIN VALLEY

This mountain valley and stream from shot from our helicopter tour of Kauai in June.

HORSES IN A MOUNTAIN VALLEY

We drove by this scene on the way to photograph a sunset at Kee Beach in Kauai and stopped to take a few shots.  It would have made a great evening location to stake out and spend an hour or two shooting but we had a plan to shoot the beach sunset and we were determined to stick to it!  This was my favorite of the few shots I had time to take.  Although I liked the composition I thought the lighting was a little flat and I used a technique Tony Sweet calls a "digital sandwich" to amp it up.

TARO FIELDS OF THE HANALEI VALLEY

This is an eight shot stitched pano of the taro fields in the Hanalei Valley on the island of Kauai.

KAUAI MOUNTAINS

This is a shot of some of the mountains we flew over on our Jack Harter helicopter tour of Kauai.  It would be hard to imagine how green these mountains are without seeing them.  I suppose that's one of the outcomes in an area with 468" of average rainfall per year!

Wai`oli Hui`ia Church Kauai

The "Wai oli Hui ia Church in Hanalei Kauia is the most photographed church on any of the islands.  It was established by American Christian Missionaries in 1834 and you can learn more about it at http://www.hanaleichurch.org/About_Us.html.

HANALEI BAY

This is a grab shot I took while we were scouting for a good place to set up to shoot a sunset at Hanalei Bay, Kauai.

POIPU BEACH MONK SEAL

This was one of several Monk Seals we saw lounging on Poipu Beach in Kauai.  These seals are protected and there are fines in place as high as $25,000.00 for endangering or harassing them.  When they swim up on the beach the life guards quickly erect a barricade around them.  As they relax and regain the strength they need to hunt and avoid predators beach goers continue beaching around the familiar sight.

SHIPWRECK BEACH SURFER

Kauai's Shipwreck Beach ended up being one of my favorite beaches to hang out at.  The sloping white sandy beach draws lots of surfers, boogie boarders, and body surfers and features a cliff at one end that locals often dive off of.

OLD KOLOA SUGAR MILL

This is the old Koloa Sugar Mill built on the south side of Kauai in 1835 by Ladd & Company.  Read more about it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Sugar_Mill_of_Koloa. 

KILAUEA LIGHTHOUSE

This is an early morning shot of the Kilauea Lighthouse on the island of Kauai.  The lighthouse, dedicated in 1913, is the centerpiece of the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge.

Two of Kauai's claims to fame are wild chickens and red dirt.  It's estimated that the wild chicken population may out number permanent residents on the island.  The large number is most usually attributed to the destruction of chicken coops and farms during hurricane Iniki in 1992.